As Kentucky Senate race tightens, Bill Clinton to campaign

FRANKFORT, Ky. — With some recent polls suggesting the Kentucky Senate race is a statisitical dead heat, former President Bill Clinton scheduled to visit Kentucky to campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Jack Conway.

Clinton’s close friend, Lexington businessman Jerry Lundergan, confirmed that Clinton is scheduled to visit the state on Monday. Lundergan said the location of Clinton’s visit has not yet been finalized.

Clinton’s appearance in the state would be designed to help offset an enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans. Polls have consistently shown that Republicans say they’re more likely to vote in the Nov. 2 election than Democrats.

Until recently, polls have shown Conway, the state’s attorney general, generally trailing tea party favorite and Republican Rand Paul, an eye surgeon who is making his first bid for public office.

As of mid-September, Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state 1,627,673 to 1,064,962. A total of 192,798 Kentuckians were registered as independents or with other parties.

A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll showed Clinton as the most popular politician in the country.

Fifty-five percent of those polled held a positive view of Clinton, while only 23 percent had a negative view, the best ratio of any of the politicians or political parties polled.

Several popular national Republicans have appeared in Kentucky on behalf of Paul’s campaign, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Paul and Conway are scheduled to participate in a debate Monday night in Covington for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.